Transit Service

Currently NAITSA is in negotiations with Edmonton Transit Service regarding the Universal Transit Pass program. It is our intention to have a referendum on the U-Pass contract.

Transit service levels to NAIT continue to be a concern, especially at the Souch and Patricia campuses. NAITSA will continue to press the City of Edmonton for greater funding for transit and for ETS to provide better service to NAIT campuses.

NAITSA is also monitoring the progress of the NAIT LRT line closely. We have made great strides in getting the message out regarding how important this LRT line is to NAIT staff and students, and we expect the NAIT LRT line to be finished by 2015.

Student Housing

One of the most important issues facing students at NAIT is access to affordable housing. Currently there is no student residence at NAIT, and housing for apprenticeship students from outside of Edmonton is difficult to obtain. While NAIT does include a residence in their campus development plan, those plans change every year and NAITSA must work towards ensuring that a residence for NAIT students is provided.

Tuition and Government Funding

The Provincial government has planned for a 0% increase in the base grant for post-secondary institutions for the years 2010/11 and 2011/12. The government has promised to cap tuition at inflation, but NAIT continues to expand programming despite the lack of available funding. NAITSA remains concerned regarding the future quality of instruction at NAIT, as funding constraints combined with increased programming have led to layoffs and cost-cutting in operations.

NAITSA will continue to build relationships with the government to ensure that tuition at NAIT is as affordable as possible. It is NAITSA’s duty to fight any attempt to remove the cap on tuition.

Student Representation

NAITSA also has a duty to represent students on issues of NAIT policy. Major changes in policy at NAIT that affect students must be made in consultation with student representatives. NAITSA, being the legally mandated form of student representation on campus, must continue to press NAIT to include the views of student representatives on issues of NAIT policy and governance.

NAIT Direction

The future direction of the institution matters to NAIT students, and therefore the NAIT Students' Association. We want to ensure that the diplomas, certificates and degrees offered by NAIT remain valuable in the long-term. While we do not object to expansion in programming, we believe that it should not be at the expense of the quality of education offered in long-standing programs.

Over the long-term, it is obvious that NAIT needs to expand. To this end, NAITSA lobbied for the closure of the City Centre Airport in order to facilitate a consolidated campus in the future. A consolidated campus eliminates the need for the duplication of services that multiple campuses require. With the LRT coming to NAIT, it was important to ensure that NAIT could expand in place and give future students access to services, transit and housing.

Apprenticeship Issues

Apprentices make up the largest student group at NAIT, and they have unique issues and concerns. NAITSA continues to seek improvements to programs that affect apprenticeship students, such as Employment Insurance and Incentive Grants. Greater student representation at the Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board is also sought by NAITSA.